Discover Scottish Gardens, Scotland’s recently formed national garden tourism organisation, will exhibit at next month’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time.
The group launched in 2015 with the help of VisitScotland’s Growth Fund to work collectively to raise the profile of Scottish gardens and showcase the nation’s outstanding horticulture and plant diversity.
Discover Scottish Gardens has attracted more than 130 members, including public and private gardens, nurseries and related businesses.
After securing a second round of funding from VisitScotland in December last year, the group now aims to make its mark at Chelsea.
Catherine Erskine, chair of Discover Scottish Gardens, said: “In our first two years, we made great strides in encouraging visitors from all over the world to enjoy our country’s fabulous gardens and nurseries, and there’s no better place to spread the word than at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be part of it and hope that our new campaign will raise our profile even further and entice garden lovers at Chelsea as well as Londoners and those living in the South East of England to visit Scotland. As part of our exhibition creative idea, we will quite literally be putting gardens on a giant map of Scotland.”
The Discover Scottish Gardens display on Eastern Avenue will feature a giant map highlighting the country’s most spectacular gardens, and a backdrop of Scotland’s natural landscape.
Staff will be dressed in Isle of Skye tartan ‘waterfall skirts’ made by Edinburgh designers Totty Rocks. The stand will also feature an eye-catching display of blue poppies (meconopsis), a Himalayan native that is widely seen as one of Scotland’s most popular flowers as it grows exceptionally well in the climatic conditions north of the border.
Sponsors of the tourism group include lead sponsor Lycetts Insurance Brokers, as well as CKD Galbraith, Cottages & Castles and Alitex Greenhouses and Conservatories.
For more information about Discover Scottish Gardens visit thre website www.discoverscottishgardens.org
Ends
